Helping Him Remember
by Watermelonsmellinfellon
Summary: Yuuri owned an old flip phone with a message from a young Victor Nikiforov, scrawled on the back. AKA... The meet cute Victor doesn't remember.


**A/N: Hello, people!**

 **I don't own Yuri! On Ice.**

 **I have no beta.**

 **ENJOY!**

 **CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON. I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

Victor Nikiforov stared at the small phone, recognizing its make and model. It was old. More than a decade. He didn't know why it was in Yuuri's box of belongings that he'd brought along with him to Russia, but he was going to find out.

"Yuuri's why do you have an old mobile flip phone?"

Yuuri looked over, and a fond smile spread across his face.

"Look on the back."

Victor flipped the mobile over, and found a message scrawled in black, thin letters.

 **To my most**

 **adorable fan, Yuuri.**

 **I hope your cheeks**

 **stay chubby and cute.**

 **-V. Nikiforov.**

* * *

 **{Many Years Ago...}**

Katsuki Yuuri had only been a fan if Victor Nikiforov for four months, but he would gladly say that he knew enough about the other be classified as his Number One Fan. And frankly, he would fight anyone if they tried to claim otherwise.

His room was covered in the skater's face. He was building the biggest collection of Nikiforov posters he could get his hands on, and he was not ashamed in the least.

For a ten year old, Yuuri had few priorities in life, which allowed him to pay attention to his passions. Ballet, ice skating, and Victor Nikiforov.

He'd just spent hours with his friend Yuuko at Ice Castle, practicing Victor's most recent Junior Grand Prix Short Program. It was to the music 'Breakaway' which was an American single about shedding all limitations and the boring life you live. Taking a chance and having it pull off in the end. The music was lovely and while Victor had skated to an instrumental, he'd still brought the music to life.

And Yuuri wanted to be like that so badly! Before Victor had come into his life, he had been more focused on his ballet training and less on skating, though he still skated for fun.

But there he was, learning how to do a Toe Loop just so he could at least mimic Victor somewhat. Even though it was only a Single, he was proud of it. Yuuko could do a single Toe Loop and a Single Loop. She was two years older than he and he was catching up to her pretty quickly.

Soon they'd be able to mimic Victor even better! They'd do his programs justice!

"Hey, Yuuri!"

The boy looked over, finding his sister standing in the doorway of his room, holding a bag that was almost as big as him.

"Happy birthday," she murmured around her chewing gum.

Yuuri accepted the large blue bag with a smile and gave his sister a one-armed hug before plopping down on the bed. The first gift inside was a shirt with Victor Nikiforov's signature on it! It was wrapped in plastic, meaning she'd gotten it from somewhere official. The next was a 13x9 photo of Victor and his poodle in a golden frame. He was smiling and looked beautiful. Next were a few posters that he didn't have yet! The final gift was a small wooden box with a heart engraved on the lid.

Yuuri opened it carefully, and found himself faced with a blue collar. A silver dog bone was dangling off of it.

Yuuri stared for a moment, before his eyes went wide and he looked toward his sister, who was now holding something small and brown in her arms. It wiggled a bit, before a tiny head popped up and a fluffy tail started wagging.

"Yip!"

Yuuri was off the bed in a flash, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"This little guy needs a good home and someone to take care of him," said Mari and she scratched behind one big, floppy ear. "Can you handle that responsibility?"

"Yeah!" Yuuri insisted, unable to stop bouncing in place.

Carefully, the puppy changed hands, and Yuuri cooed when its tiny tongue lapped at his cheek, tail still wagging madly.

"Thank you, nee-chan!" the boy beamed before looking down at his new friend "I'm calling you Victor."

"What if it's a girl?"

Yuuri shrugged. "Then she'll be a Victor."

Victor turned out to be a boy, but Yuuri hadn't been joking. He would have named the dog Victor either way.

* * *

For Yuuri's eleventh birthday, Mari took him all the way to Tokyo for a five day stay because The Final of the Grand Prix was being held there and Victor Nikiforov was competing. Meaning Yuuri was going to get to see the teen up close.

Mari had entered a contest and had gone through two all-nighters, plus she had borrowed ten different mobile phones so she could call at the appropriate times and always managed to be the fifth caller. Something about being the fifth caller ten times in a row in order to win, which was why she had been up for nearly two days straight, all in order to get the tickets. And the seats were good too.

Yuuri had clung to her for over an hour in gratitude. He then made her some dango with their kaa-san while she slept nearly a whole day.

It was an entire event for Yuuri. The Grand Prix, and then a day around Tokyo. The trip was the gift from his parents, where he'd get to play around with his sister.

His school was under the impression that he was ill. Probably the only time he or his parents would lie about that, but it didn't matter, because he would get to see Victor Nikiforov perform in person!

They were staying in a nice hotel for their five days in Tokyo. Yuuri got his own bed! His nee-chan had bought a ton of stuff at the nearest convenience shop and they ordered in.

The night before the competition was probably one of the coolest nights of his life.

* * *

The men's short programs for the Junior division were on the first day. Yuuri found himself squished in a seat right in the middle, in the second row. Mari had bought a large cushion for him to sit on so he could see over the head of the person in front of him.

Victor Nikiforov was scheduled to skate first, and Yuuri couldn't help but bounce excitedly.

Victor's costume was black and covered in silver rhinestones. There was a half skirt hanging off the right hip, and the fabric on the right side of the torso as well as the right arm was completely mesh. Victor's long, silver hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he looked stunning.

If he wasn't competing in the men's singles, it would have been difficult to tell that he was a boy.

Yuuri raised Mari's mobile and snapped a photo of the screens overhead. The ones that showed close up views of the skaters for everyone to see clearly.

Victor danced with a smile on his face, making the already uplifting music even more joyous. He skated with only triple jumps and didn't make even a single mistake that Yuuri could see. He was simply one with the music, nothing more or less.

Yuuri snapped continual photos, unable to help himself. He wanted to remember this forever.

Victor's score ended up being 91.89, and it kept him in the first ranking for the Junior men's singles.

Yuuri had never cheered so loudly in his life.

* * *

Yuuri watched the performance over and over, and while the video was a bit grainy, he was still able to see it. He had already memorized the step sequences and spins. The choreography was pretty incredible, but he had a feeling he could replicate it when he got in enough practice. He'd give it a month at the least before he'd be able to do it too.

Not with the same difficulty though, but certainly good enough for his age and experience.

It was easy to tell where Victor's skills lay. Jumps were his strong point, while spins and steps were just a bit off at the moment. Not too noticeably, but Yuuri could tell the teen preferred his jumps instead.

Yuuri was the opposite. He wasn't a fan of jumps, but he did spirals, steps, and spins well thanks to his rigorous practice in ballet with Minako-sensei.

It was so cool to see a legend in the making, performing in real life though.

Victor was like some kind god on the ice. He had set a world record that day, and had inspired Yuuri in more ways than one.

Yuuri wanted to compete too. On the same ice as Victor.

Some day.

* * *

Yuuri was washing his hands. He'd had to use the washroom, and only had a small chance to do so before the event he was looking for most, continued.

The boy stepped back and turned. He bumped into someone and found himself falling over.

"Gomen!" a soft voice murmured as two cold hands pulled him to his feet.

Yuuri shook his head in order to straighten himself out. Looking up, he felt his jaw drop.

Victor Nikiforov was standing in the same washroom as Katsuki Yuuri was. He was for some reason, in the very public section of the building, and not in the section meant for the skaters and officials. His hair looked like silver silk when up close.

Yuuri gulped visibly, unsure of what to do or say.

"Daijobu?" Victor asked, voice as soft as Yuuri imagined, though his pronunciation was a little skewed.

"I'm fine," the boy murmured in thickly accented English, knowing that English was Victor's second language.

The beaming grin he got in response was beautiful.

"You sure?"

Yuuri nodded.

"I still feel kind of bad though," Victor murmured with a pout. "Can I make it up to you? Do you like figure skating?"

Yuuri was nodding madly before the question was even finished. Victor grinned wider, eyes almost sparkling. He looked like an angel in the bright light of the bathroom.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Victor Nikiforov, about to turn fifteen in two weeks. Also about to win your second consecutive Junior Grand Prix Final."

There was a second of silence, before Victor's head tilted back and a soft laugh escaped his mouth. His very shiny mouth. His perfect teeth were pretty.

"I take it you're a fan then? Might I know your name?"

"Katsuki Yuuri," Yuuri barely managed to breathe out, feeling like he was going to faint at any moment.

Victor was rummaging through his pockets. He pulled out a small marker that kind of looked like a pen, and sent Yuuri a wink. "Anything you have that I can sign?"

All he had on him were the clothes he was wearing, his wristband, and his sister's mobile phone.

Yuuri handed over the mobile without hesitation, and while Victor quirked a brow, he did sign the back, marring the perfect platinum color with permanent black words. The message was written in English. Yuuri would have to go home and translate it, but he was fine with that.

Victor Nikiforov was signing his sister's mobile phone. For Yuuri. He held his breath in order to calm himself.

Victor capped the marker and flipped the mobile open, pressing a few buttons. He then beckoned Yuuri closer with a wave of the hand, and Yuuri found out why.

Victor Nikiforov wanted to take a photo with him. Him!

If it was only one photo, Yuuri would have been able to contain himself. But the shutter sounded several times and each time, Yuuri found himself even closer to his idol than before, until finally, Victor Nikiforov's lips were pressed against Yuuri's slightly chubby cheek.

Yuuri was certain that he was a flushed mess.

"It was nice to meet you despite the circumstances, Yuuri."

It was 'nice to meet him'. Yuuri was going to die. He'd ascend and never return.

There was a ruffle to his hair, before Yuuri felt another kiss on his cheek.

He stared as Victor waved, winked, and walked away. As if he had not just changed Yuuri's life all in the span of five minutes.

* * *

Mari let him keep the mobile. It was Yuuri's most treasured possession for many years.

* * *

 **{Present...}**

"I honestly don't remember that at all."

Yuuri was simply smiling. "I figured you didn't. You were fifteen and you had a major competition to worry about. But it meant a lot to me and was what prompted me to take training more seriously."

Victor felt like a fool. How could he forget a little Yuuri?

"I still have the charger. If you give it a few minutes, I can show you the selfies you took with me."

Yeeeeeeessssssss!

Victor handed the phone over and wrapped his arms around his fiance, burying his face in Yuuri's grown out hair. "Please help me remember."

Yuuri merely laughed. "I'll simply think of it as payback for the banquet. We're even now, so stop teasing me over it."

True. He could do that.

The photos ended up being adorable, with Yuuri's squishy cheeks being the best part of the whole collection. His cheeks weren't squishy any more, but now Victor could kiss them whenever he wanted, so it was okay.

* * *

 **A/N: DONE!**

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